Imbolc 2016 – Crone/Maiden exchange

Today is Imbolc. Celebration of light, poetry, creativity, home, feminine energy, first signs of spring. Nature is beautiful when the Earth is beginning to move around yet it is still sleepy and stretching covered with seasonal blankets. Imbolc is the festival that I FEEL most of all. It is a feeling more than anything else for me.

Maiden Goddess waking up – Imbolc

I saw the Crone and the Maiden today, both energies flowing through me interchanging and communicating with each other. I take on one and then the other as I begin my journey towards the woodland. I was called to visit a different place and I listen carefully in which direction I need to go. A small village comes to my awareness and fond memories come back to me of that place, which I used to really love and every time driving past I wished I could live there one day. It came back today and the woods surrounding the village called me. Without hesitation I took off in that direction feeling rather mischievous and playful. Driving I began to sing out loud some Celtic songs feeling very young within myself. Maiden energy very present.

My woodland walk this morning was full of energy. I felt my hair going wild with receiving so much around me and I was unable to sit still and meditate. There were so many things trying to talk to me, birds, tress, Earth – very busy. Life is definitely coming back into the sacred woods. It is cold or fresh, as I like to call it, which is invigorating to all the senses. I am aware of how much I love the chill in the air and wind on my face and in my hair. I take a few deep breaths and continue off the path deeper into the woods.

My grandmother comes to me first and I am instantly taken back to when I was a young lady growing up in Siberia taking walks in the woods in very cold mid-winter weather with razor sharp winds for company and frost on my eyelashes. I was taken into that space and time, as if it happened only yesterday. Not only it connected me to my grandmother, who lived nearby, but to the fact that I took these walks for a long time now whenever I needed to connect to the Earth, connect to myself. It is a beautiful synchronicity that these woods welcomed me with pine trees mirroring perfectly that time in a place I was born. Pines are very soft to me, they are strong, calm and gentle. I feel very much at peace with myself and protected when in the pine forest and of course, its wonderful smell, which I love.

As I continue my ‘feminine’ feeling increases and I walk into the ‘Army of Ladies’ – whoa. This is the only description I can give this spot. It is strong, but vulnerable, a little scared and cautious and almost prepared to fight should anyone threaten its safety. I never came across anything like this and had to stop for some time holding on to one of the Ladies to see what comes. As I stand still I feel a bit uneasy with rather over protective sort of grip this place has and then the Sun comes in – the male energy, and its warmth brings reassurance and balance to the place. It makes me think just how necessary elemental balance really is in our lives, in our surroundings/environment and how different a place may feel when one or more elements are missing. It always makes me think of a desert, which is the most unpleasant landscape to my senses as it is so unbalanced elementally to me. Constant heat is suffocating to me.

I literally felt the tree relaxing in my embrace and stretching towards the Sun calling on her sisters to do the same. Beautiful experience.

Female Army

The Sun comes in

The Lady/Goddess archetype remains strong with me for the rest of my very ‘female/Goddess’ walk and I am feeling very much again in my Maiden energy, but aware of the Crone not far behind. She appears irritated, grumpy even one minute and the next she sends out energy of protection and a close relationship to the Maiden. The Crone watches over her, but she tolerates no foolishness, or too much of it anyway. I feel, as I collect pine branches and cones and go off the path even more into hidden places in the depth of pines, The Crone’s steps are getting heavier, as she tries to follow me with a grumpy sort of posture and annoyance in her voice. The next thing I know I am slapped in the face with a branch and ouch… On reflection it makes me laugh and embrace the Crone with her holding me tight. Oh, I love her wisdom, warmth and necessary harshness sometimes. She literally ‘slapped’ me into action, into focusing on what I need to do, on ‘waking’ up and going steady on the path on guiding the Earth, as she continues to stir into growth. Oh, we laughed and laughed and left the woods together. The Crone handed over to the Maiden and the Wheel turns again.